NIGERIA: N400 Billion Spent On Bribes Annually

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said roughly N400 billion is spent on bribes each year in Nigeria, taking into account that nine of every 10 bribes are paid in cash.

The NBS stated this in “Corruption in Nigeria, Bribery: Public Experience and Response 2017 Survey’’, posted on the bureau’s website in Abuja.

The bureau stated that it was estimated that the total amount of bribes paid to public officials in Nigeria in the 12 months prior to the survey was around N400 billion.

The survey was conducted in April/May 2016 in all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of Nigeria.

The NBS said that bribe-payers in Nigeria spent an eighth of their salary on bribes.

On average, the report stated that almost one bribe was paid by every adult Nigerian per year.

It stated that by combining the total number of people who paid a bribe to a public official with the frequency of those payments, it was estimated that a total of roughly 82.3 million bribes were paid.

It added that roughly 82.3 million bribes were paid in Nigeria in the 12 months prior to the survey.